ATU to host free business forumArea business owners and those interested in starting a business are invited to participate in a free business forum Friday, Aug. 7, at the Russellville campus of Arkansas Tech University. The forum will run from 9-11 a.m. The event will be hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. Arvest Bank, Beall Barclay and Company and Wilson and Haubert, PLLC are co-sponsors. The forum is titled “Small Business Forum: Ask t...

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BY SAM STRASNER arkansastechnews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Businesses take part in national pet adoptionPets and animals give people so much — from house cats to service animals and therapy animals, people rely on pets more than they might think. With the help of Adopt-a-Pet.com and the Russellville Animal Shelter, Coldwell Banker, James R. Ford and Associates is going to give back to the animals this weekend by participating in one of the largest, national pet adoption events of the year. The event, “Homes for Dogs National Pet Adoption Weekend...

Retail recruiters make pitchRussellville city officials got a look into a possibly bright future from a retail business perspective after two representatives from The Retail Coach in Tupelo, Miss., spoke Wednesday. Walker Wright and Joseph Koon told the audience at City Hall with a daytime trade area of 65,000 up to 70,000 consumers, Russellville’s opportunity to get new retail stores was “huge,” and a partnership with The Retail Coach could start recruiting new business...

Community photo: ConAgra raises money for local childrenConAgra Foods Inc. presented a check to River Valley Food 4 Kids for $1,757.65 on July 14. The money was raised through fundraisers, such as a pie in the face game, a cook-off and several other drives. The funds will be used to support the Russellville School District’s weekend backpack program, which ensures that children in need have food throughout the weekend, when they will not receive meals at school.

Car Clinic changes locationsThe Car Clinic of Russellville has changed locations. Previously at 3515 W. Main St. in Russellville, The Car Clinic has now moved to 1000 E 28th St. in Russellville. The Car Clinic, owned by Rick Butts, is a full-service auto repair that works on all makes and models for both foreign and domestic cars. The Car Clinic has been in business in Russellville for 10 years and has two full-time auto-tech mechanics on site. Owner/operator, Butts, has...

Planning Commission votes down PUDAfter more than an hour of questions and comments from the public, the Russellville Planning Commission voted 4-3 against recommending a 4-acre plot of land be rezoned from R-1 (single-family) to planned unit development (PUD) during Monday’s regular meeting. Early drawings were first brought to commissioners in January by Barrett & Associates on behalf of Ron Hughes. The commission tabled action on the PUD rezoning last month. The development...

Family gives $1.5 million to Arkansas Children’s HospitalLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Children’s Hospital says it has received $1.5 million to help fund an endowed chair dedicated to research. Mary and Ross Whipple donated the money, which will be matched by the hospital’s research institute board. The chair is designed to support pediatric research in a number of areas. The hospital announced the gift Monday and said it was in honor of Dr. Richard F. Jacobs. The hospital said it is the first distinguishe...

NRC to inspect nuclear facilityAssociated Press The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled an inspection to begin in February at an Arkansas nuclear power plant where a worker was killed nearly 2½ years ago. The 3,000 hour inspection at Arkansas Nuclear One, owned by Entergy Arkansas Inc., will be in addition to the 6,600 hours of normal annual inspections at the plant in Russellville. The inspection will verify that Entergy holds its employees accountable and that mai...

City Corp. ends year $123,000 in blackCity Corp. General Manager Steve Mallett told the water and sewer utility’s Board of Directors during Tuesday’s regular meeting that it ended its fiscal year (June 30-July 1) with $123,000 higher net income than budgeted. Since the utility was $4,000 over in expenses, Mallett pointed out City Corp. was able to absorb higher costs, including water treatment plant repairs, and still achieved quite an accomplishment to come out $123,000 in the bl...

‘We got more than we gave’DARDANELLE — The power of a flower is unreal. Of course Dana Edwards, owner of Love’s Floral Shop on Quay Street in Dardanelle, believes in the above statement. She lives in on a daily basis. Another part of her career is donating flowers. She said she doesn’t like the recognition and doesn’t like to brag. Thursday, however, was a little different. Edwards and her helpers at Love’s Floral Shop hope they started a new tradition with their first...

Local man drives away with third placeDon Decan (left) of Russellville recently competed in the Missouri Truck Driving Championship (MTDC) on June 12 and 13 in Joplin, Mo. Decan and his three team members competed in the Sleeper Class and Five Axle Class divisions which had 51 other drivers competing in them as well. Overall, the MTDC had 192 drivers competing in 9 class divisions. The MTDC consisted of contestants driving trucks on a state regulated competition driving course wit...

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FOR THE COURIER / SubmittedThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Construction on 400-foot runway extension beginsDirector Keith Frazier told the Russellville Regional Airport Commission during Wednesday’s regular meeting that construction work started on the runway extension project this week. The 400-foot runway extension to the east will be funded through a 90/10 matching grant, with the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics to pay 90 percent of the $555,000 and the city responsible for 10 percent. Bob Chatman of Miller Newell Engineering told commissione...

Dover council hears update on proposed sewer treatment plantBY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.com DOVER — The Dover City Council heard a report during Tuesday’s regular meeting from Jeremy Stone of Civil Engineering Associates, the city’s engineer on its proposed sewer treatment plant. Aldermen had requested a personal report concerning what they perceived as a long-term lack of progress on the project. “I don’t want to speak out of school, but this has been in the works since before I was on the counci...

Eureka Springs to keep anti-discrimination ordinanceAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — The mayor of a northwest Arkansas city on Tuesday said a measure banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity will continue being enforced despite a new state law aimed at prohibiting such ordinances. Eureka Springs Mayor Robert “Butch” Berry said the city has no plans to back down from its ordinance, approved by voters in May. It bans agencies and businesses from discriminating against ...

Why airlines keep pushing biofuels: They have no choiceAssociated Press NEW YORK — The number of global fliers is expected to more than double in the next two decades. In order to carry all those extra passengers, airlines are turning to a technology very few can make work on a large scale: converting trash into fuel. They have no other choice. As people in countries such as China, India and Indonesia get wealthier they are increasingly turning to air travel for vacation or business, creating an e...

Arkansas unemployment declines to 5.7% in JuneAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services says Arkansas’ unemployment rate last month dropped slightly to 5.7 percent. The agency said Tuesday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined one-tenth of a percentage point in June from 5.8 percent in May. The national jobless rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point, from 5.5 percent in May to 5.3 percent in June. Arkansas’ civilian labor force ...

Sales tax election in motionThe Russellville City Council read for the first time an ordinance providing for the levy of a one-quarter percent sales tax within the city limits during Thursday’s regular meeting. A separate ordinance also read for the first time would schedule a special election on Nov. 10. Mayor Randy Horton said the ordinance would be read again in August and September, with a referendum and townhall meetings before the Nov. 10 special election if the co...

Atkins City Council gets heated over actionBY SEAN INGRAM sean@couriernews.com ATKINS — Aldermen “Bro” Price, Raymond Pearce and JoAnn Spence got loud and heated when action on unsightly and unsanitary properties was brought up again during Tuesday’s regular Atkins City Council meeting. After City Attorney William S. Swain read the city’s ordinance on unsightly and unsanitary properties that dated back to 1926, council members agreed it needed to be updated. The 1926 ordinance stated o...

New graphic designer joins Nicholson GroupDan Nicholson, president of The Nicholson Group, announced the addition of Destiny Freeman, graphic designer. Freeman is a 2009 graduate of Dover High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design from Arkansas Tech University in 2013. She is also on track to complete her Master of Liberal Arts degree — with an emphasis in communications — at ATU in December 2015. In 2011, she earned first-place honors in logo design for the...